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Marvel Reacts To Runaways Race Bending Accusations

When an open casting call for Runaways began circulating earlier this month, many fans were alarmed that the apparent description for Nico Minoru didn’t indicate that the role was for an Asian-American actress. But Marvel isn’t planning to shy away from Nico’s ethnicity, according to the studio.

In a statement released to Racebending.com, Marvel Studios addressed the concerns over the possibility of a non-Asian American actress landing the role of Nico. The statement reads:

“To address your concern over casting for the role of Nico, as we do with all of our films, we intend to stay true to the legacy and story of the comic when casting these parts. Thus, our goal is to cast an Asian American actress as depicted in the comic series and the casting notice will be adjusted accordingly.

This isn’t the first time this year that a popular character’s race has been at the center of controversy in Hollywood. Indeed, Racebending.com was founded in response to the decision to alter characters’ racial backgrounds in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender. While it seems that the question of Nico’s ethnicity has been addressed by Marvel, it’s still worth wondering — how upset would you be if a non-Asian American actress won the role of Nico? Generally speaking, does a studio’s decision to alter a character’s ethnic background take you out of the movie experience, or do you look at other factors in determining a film’s overall quality? Let us know what you think in the comments section.